"i've been gettin G-ed up since i came out the hospital as a baby. i didn't wear pampers, i wore some slacks and some gators on the way home.""in order for us to grow u gotta know, in order to love the brotherman, u gotta know the otherman. because one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. knick knack paddy wack, give the dog a bone." - Delonte West

Use torrents, you can download the episodes about 2 hours after they come out.

good call

"i've been gettin G-ed up since i came out the hospital as a baby. i didn't wear pampers, i wore some slacks and some gators on the way home.""in order for us to grow u gotta know, in order to love the brotherman, u gotta know the otherman. because one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. knick knack paddy wack, give the dog a bone." - Delonte West

People should read 'Last Man Out' as well. 'Ghost Soldiers' had a "happy ending" compared to what happened at Palawan.

Or read anything on Nanking if stomach-turning atrocities on a mass scale are necessary.

It's almost surreal to believe that's what human beings are capable of.

Nanking was an amazing testament to the brutality of the Japanese. From the rape of 50,000+ women to the instances of Japanese "soldiers" cutting unborn babies from their mothers' wombs to gamble on what sex the child was. They were every bit as bad as the Nazis.

This series is going to be ridiculous. GD heart was racing a mile a second from the second they were in the landing boats appproaching Guadalcanal. Have a feeling there's not going to be too many catch your breath moments over the next nine Sunday nights.

Finally ... some must see TV on Sunday nights. Been way too god damn long.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

Fire Marshall Bill wrote:AP story in the local has it starting with why each joined the service, which leads moi to believe it'll be prior to boot camp to some degree

Not much preliminaries, just 30 minutes of background of the three major characters before getting right into the shit at Guadalcanal.

Tense as hell episode as it was different form BoB on having them not coming immediately under fire once they land, but it was nervewracking waiting for them to come under the attack you knew was coming.

Looks that while they will try to show at some points that the "average" Japanese soldier was a human being as well, they are not going to sugarcoat the savagery and butchery shown by the Jap Army in general.

Fire Marshall Bill wrote:AP story in the local has it starting with why each joined the service, which leads moi to believe it'll be prior to boot camp to some degree

Not much preliminaries, just 30 minutes of background of the three major characters before getting right into the shit at Guadalcanal.

Tense as hell episode as it was different form BoB on having them not coming immediately under fire once they land, but it was nervewracking waiting for them to come under the attack you knew was coming.

Looks that while they will try to show at some points that the "average" Japanese soldier was a human being as well, they are not going to sugarcoat the savagery and butchery shown by the Jap Army in general.

All in all, it looks like Spielberg and Hanks have done it again.

The tension waiting for the first bullets to fly was as, if not more agonizing than the right to the action open of Private Ryan.

And yes, it looks as if Spielberg and Hanks have knocked this one out of the park. History lesson, accurate portrayals of the mindset of the combatants on both side, and mind boggling realism and special effects. Like being there when it was actually happening.

Almost unfair that TV this good can be made at the same time as all the dogshit you find on the networks.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

BASILONE, JOHN - Medal of Honor RecipientRank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps.

Birth: 4 November 1916, Buffalo, N.Y.

Accredited to: New Jersey.

Other Navy awards: Navy Cross.

Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machineguns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor and courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Hope is a moment now long pastThe Shadow of Death is the one I castKoo koo ka joob....I am the Walrus

Very much enjoyed episode one and am really looking forward to the remaining 9 episodes. There is definitely a different tone and different story structure compared with Band of Brothers which makes me happy. There is no way another story told in the same format can compare so its nice to see Hanks/Spielberg and the rest of the creative team work to tell this gripping story in a different, yet still very compelling, way.

Here is a brief article from a gentleman who was there for the real battle and he too approves so far.

I feel bad for the poor bastards that had to lug those Watercooled MGs around, especially in the jungles. Probably wasn't fun having those drum mags on the Thompsons either. This series is going to be epic. So many battles yet to come, Tarawa, Saipan, New Britain, Luzon, Iwo, and more.

One thing about those Japanese, they were not afraid of death. If it meant taking Americans with them they would glady charge into our lines with a primed grenade.

just watched part 1. this is gonna be a great series. CDT, i was thinking the same thing watching them hoisting around those watercooled .30 cals all day on patrols. this will be a great watch for the next couple months already cant wait for the next one. everyone knows someone or has family that fought in it and this stuff is so interesting to me. about a month ago my grandfather who was a decorated soldier in the war passed and i inherited a giant box full of his WWII stuff and its just amazing. that generation makes mine look like the biggest group of shithead pussies in the history of mankind

"i've been gettin G-ed up since i came out the hospital as a baby. i didn't wear pampers, i wore some slacks and some gators on the way home.""in order for us to grow u gotta know, in order to love the brotherman, u gotta know the otherman. because one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. knick knack paddy wack, give the dog a bone." - Delonte West

Cerebral_DownTime wrote:I figured the 1st episode would be them training like in Band Of Brothers.

Me too, and there was all the Paris island material. But I love that they didn't try to remake the other series. That's cool.

What I do expect is more flashbacks to the home front and the time just after 12/7 . More linkage material possible since the Japanese attacked us first unlike the nazi's (nt counting U boats) .

So far, so good. That hour went by in the blink of an eye. Very limited combat sequences so far. Yeah, I know GC wasn't Tarawa and get the pacing and history of the campaign. It's just that the actual combat scene they did show at Tenaru was pretty truncated and almsot bloodless compared to other Hanks projects like SPR and some BoB scenes. Ironic give the nature of the Pac theater combat compared with Europe. way more grusome material. I don't want the Pacific to be a Saw series but it just stuck me as somewhat sanitized. They also didn't show anything but the aftermath and skipped how much they just chewed up the frontal asault and cleaned 'em up into sausage.

Best line of the night? Paraphrasing: "They don't know about the US Marine Corps." So true. Complete underestimation.

Last edited by jb on Tue Mar 16, 2010 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.

People should read 'Last Man Out' as well. 'Ghost Soldiers' had a "happy ending" compared to what happened at Palawan.

Or read anything on Nanking if stomach-turning atrocities on a mass scale are necessary.

It's almost surreal to believe that's what human beings are capable of.

Yeah man, and a bizarre cultural compare / contrast.

Some sick shit went on in the eastern front, but all in all, it was almost like the Nazi's were systematized and calculating, whereas with the japanese it was almost straight up crazy blood lust. The banality of evil vs wilding. With the Japanese, it was very military driven, and w/ the nazi's, it was a function more of the party apparatus (and I include the SS in that) .

How fucked are you now? How fucked are you now?How fucked are you now?You're really fucked now.

Killer closing sequence BTW. Singing that andheading into a deep, dark jungle. That works on so many levels setting the tone for the rest of the series. Whose fucked? Them? The Nips? Everyone? The situation? What jungle? There / Everywhere? Literal, symbolic? For the rest many weeks vs the Tokyo Express from rabaul into the canal as well as the rest of the campaign. maybe for the rest of their lives as most never came out of the jungle in their heads 100%?

Fire Marshall Bill wrote:Not sure when that version started but, it has lived-on forever in Gruntland

Question for Mitch or anyone else:

Was the guy who capped the Jap being used like a duck in a shooting gallery the machinegunner?

His moment the morning after the battle after having killed so many seemed to be the most emotional of the episode

Yep, it was Robert Leckie, played by James Badge Dale, who is one of the three main characters Spiel-anks will follow in the miniseries. (Dale was also in The Departed)

I did note that through the firefight, he wasn't always on the MG, sometimes his partner was. I'm assuming that was due to fatigue...as well as denoting for the audience that it wasn't just a 30 minute quicky, but something that drug on all night.

Fire Marshall Bill wrote:Not sure when that version started but, it has lived-on forever in Gruntland

Question for Mitch or anyone else:

Was the guy who capped the Jap being used like a duck in a shooting gallery the machinegunner?

His moment the morning after the battle after having killed so many seemed to be the most emotional of the episode

Yep, it was Robert Leckie, played by James Badge Dale, who is one of the three main characters Spiel-anks will follow in the miniseries. (Dale was also in The Departed)

I did note that through the firefight, he wasn't always on the MG, sometimes his partner was. I'm assuming that was due to fatigue...as well as denoting for the audience that it wasn't just a 30 minute quicky, but something that drug on all night.

Thought so. The scene is notable in that the the one who killed the most thru the night was the most compassionate in the morning

Or so it seemed to moi...

Hope is a moment now long pastThe Shadow of Death is the one I castKoo koo ka joob....I am the Walrus

Fire Marshall Bill wrote:Not sure when that version started but, it has lived-on forever in Gruntland

Question for Mitch or anyone else:

Was the guy who capped the Jap being used like a duck in a shooting gallery the machinegunner?

His moment the morning after the battle after having killed so many seemed to be the most emotional of the episode

Yep, it was Robert Leckie, played by James Badge Dale, who is one of the three main characters Spiel-anks will follow in the miniseries. (Dale was also in The Departed)

I did note that through the firefight, he wasn't always on the MG, sometimes his partner was. I'm assuming that was due to fatigue...as well as denoting for the audience that it wasn't just a 30 minute quicky, but something that drug on all night.

Thought so. The scene is notable in that the the one who killed the most thru the night was the most compassionate in the morning

I feel bad for the poor bastards that had to lug those Watercooled MGs around, especially in the jungles. Probably wasn't fun having those drum mags on the Thompsons either.

I'd bet the guy humping the tripod would trade with him in a heartbeat. Him and the guy haulin' around a 60mm mortar plate

That .30 was heavy and I sure wouldn'ta wanted to hump it but, I can't imagine it was any heavier than a field radio and spare batteries

Finding and supplying the water for it had to be another problem all in itself as well as the occasional cloggged line due to conditions

I too thought the creek battle was sanitized since some 900 Japs were killed and it was over with too quickly to put you in a foxhole with them to fell the fear

Oh man, those WWII radios were probably a nightmare in the jungle. Probably only slightly less of a death sentence than the flamethrower packs. But if you need to put some arty onto a Jap pillbox it was most likely yor best friend.

I guess it could've been worse, they could be Japanese and have to carry that Type 92 Heavy MG around.

As far as Basilone's scenes last night, I hope that some people don't feel like they watched typical Hollywood sensationalism? Unfortunately, we see it in fiction and "based on true events" all the time...What that man was able to do in one evening was truely heroic...unjamming weapons, running around with ammo, burning your arm while carrying that beast, clearing bodies so you could kill more...Not to mention going hand-to-hand while there's complete Hell on Earth around you...Like Mitch said, just about every other man is a puss...

So far, I'm really liking the character studies...It's all about just surviving and making it to the next day and having to do it all over again without "losing your soul" like the father/doctor said...

It was also nice to see some of the lighter fair thrown in like the friction between the Marines/Army and the "Rice Without..."...

I'm in the same boat as you guys. I just sat there thinking how much of a bad ass John Basilone is.

It was another good episode. I'm still adjusting to the jumping around from Leckie and his men to Basilone and his guys. The one thing I have noticed as a difference is how in Band of Brothers, you felt like you knew everybody. The Pacific is just keying in on these three guys with a little of the others.

Man, these Japs were relentless. Obviously, as a History major with a focus in WWII, I already knew that, but to see it portrayed like this, just completely suicidal.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

When Chesty Puller ["We're surrounded. That simplifies things"] tells him the next morning he's going to nominate him for a medal, Basilone's reaction within himself is, "for what?"

He could only vaguely remember what he did, for its the witnesses who tell the stories that seal the deal and I have no doubts that years after the facts, Basilone finally had the flashbacks that reminded him of what he did and what they witnessed

No doubt he spent the rest of his life knowing that if not for his buddy Manny he'd be dead, and likely not a CMOH receipient and I'm sure he'da traded it in a heartbeat to get his buddy back.

Murphy's Laws of Combat #10

If you can keep your head when everyone else around you is losiung theirs, you've obviously misjudged the situation

Hope is a moment now long pastThe Shadow of Death is the one I castKoo koo ka joob....I am the Walrus

Hey Ron, I hope you take this the right way and maybe this isn't the means to do this. but at some point I'd love to read whatever you have to say that you think you'd want to share about your experiences. I'm really digging reading your takes on this series and the background you give in subtle ways.

If you think I'm a doosh for asking for war stories over the internets and if offends, I apologize. I could see why that could come across. If it is also too much , I get that too. Maybe I should have PM'd but I don't know if others sthought so as well.

Grenade fight, hot LZ's, rocket attacks,mortars, RPG's, Bouncing Betty's, pungi pits, trip wires, air stikes, Mad Minutes, underground hospital on th Ho Chi Trail, shooting up lizards with vaccination syringes for laffs, 40 drunks of all races singing Hey Jude to an acoustic guitar, then jumping out 2nd floor windows for the hell of it, pointing M-79's at truck drivers back in the rear to cop a ride, challenging REMF MP's in hospital mess halls when they think they can confiscate your Bowie knife, someone accidently lopping off the finger tip of a little kid while chopping ice with a machete...

...or my favorite 3 day Stand Down moment....waking up in the morning after another drunken night and joining about 15 others in LOA'sO at a 2 1/2 ton truck one mile out into the South China Sea with only its rag top visible?.........dude said he was going to drive it back to the States...said he just had to wait for the tide to go out

edit: I'd hate to poison this fine thread with my own comparatively meager experiences but, I'll do what I can to put you in their foxholes and their heads.

Hope is a moment now long pastThe Shadow of Death is the one I castKoo koo ka joob....I am the Walrus

Grenade fight, hot LZ's, rocket attacks,mortars, RPG's, Bouncing Betty's, pungi pits, trip wires, air stikes, Mad Minutes, underground hospital on th Ho Chi Trail, shooting up lizards with vaccination syringes for laffs, 40 drunks of all races singing Hey Jude to an acoustic guitar, then jumping out 2nd floor windows for the hell of it, pointing M-79's at truck drivers back in the rear to cop a ride, challenging REMF MP's in hospital mess halls when they think they can confiscate your Bowie knife, someone accidently lopping off the finger tip of a little kid while chopping ice with a machete...

...or my favorite 3 day Stand Down moment....waking up in the morning after another drunken night and joining about 15 others in LOA'sO at a 2 1/2 ton truck one mile out into the South China Sea with only its rag top visible?.........dude said he was going to drive it back to the States...said he just had to wait for the tide to go out

edit: I'd hate to poison this fine thread with my own comparatively meager experiences but, I'll do what I can to put you in their foxholes and their heads.

I'm thinking strating with the lizards sounds the wildest.

No, man, did the NVA like to night fight like that, and is it pretty realistic, what they show?

Great episode, one that I think was necessary, but far different from anything we've seen, especially compared to Band of Brothers.

I will shamefully admit to not being that much of a WWII Pacific Theater expert, so I'm relying on what was said in the prologue that the 1st Marines basically had to sit around for several months after Guadalcanal to regroup while the US was building up for their next major offensive. In that light, it made sense to show what they were doing during that time.

It was also a chance to focus on a more human side of these GIs than Ambrose did when writing BoB, and I thought it was fantastic. Showing even the great Basilone decompressing from all the horror and the death of his friend by pounding down that killer of a drink (and then pounding the pussy Aussie).

In looking at the HBO site's preview about next week, it's a little clearer what's going on with Leckie. The stress over Guadalcanal, followed by a heartbreak and near mental breakdown in Melbourne leads to some problems for him next week.

This episode certainly lacked the action, gravity, battle-level historical perspective and suspense of the first two (and probably the last seven), but it was a worthwhile glimpse into the individual young men who sacrificed so much, showing them to be human as well.

Yeah, this series is clearly going to focus more on 3-4 individuals than the more broader look at EZ Company in BofB. Which means character development is necessary. We got some of that with Basilone, and they needed to have that kind of episode with Leckie.

And like Mitch, it's embarrassing how little I really knew/know about the Pacific theater side of things in WWII. Seems like everything I've seen, heard, read to this point in my life has been about the European theater. Some of the differences are startling, and not only did I not mind last night's episode, I'm really enjoying learning more about the dynamics of how the two theaters differed from the perspective of the soliders.

Plus, that Greek chick was smokin hot.

Just thinking about that last night. You take the horrors of war in general. What those guys went through at Guadalcanal. Watching friends die at the hands of a savage and sneaky enemy. Then Leckie meets the gal of a lifetime and has to have the torture of leaving her added to all the other stressors already going on with him.

Made me drink just thinking about it.

What these men went through for this country ... it is amazing. I'm just really glad Spielberg and Hanks have been able to bring it to light to people like me that weren't alive when it happened.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

I'm sure most people weren't expecting the RnR so quickly into the series, but it sure did teach us even more what went through these boys heads during the war...

Amazing the emotional scars Leckie must have carried with him into the next battle? Not to mention what happened to the people they met and cared for them along the way...powerful stuff

I also thought that the scene with Leckie and his dad in the first episode was done because of the fear that his father had of losing him to the war and now we find out that they never had a good relationship to begin with...

IMO, this is Jon Seda's best work to date...He doesn't even need to speak because his eyes are worth a thousand words...we're slowly finding out that Basilone had no interest in being a role model and just wants to kicks ass...

Also, not sure if you guys noticed, but last night's episode was written by The Wire's George Pelecanos and that's probably why the greek family scenes were so realistic

Couldn't find any pertinent figures for Guadacanal but this is the rate combat stress for Okinawa as per wiki. [This link is worth hitting just to read a little of what some wouldn't really want to hear about our guys]

U.S. forces suffered their highest-ever casualty rate for combat stress reaction during the entire war, at 48%, with some 14,000 soldiers retired due to nervous breakdown.[citation needed]

Standing in parade formation Leckie is likely wondering why Basilone was singled out when every guy on the line deserved a medal...and he wouldn't be wrong

Basilone has yet to realize the weight of the medal that hangs on his neck. Living up to it and representing it will be harder than earning it, knowing that two guys died saving his life, enabling him to finish what he started

Chesty tells him to treat it like it belongs to him but, I'll bet when he speaks he says he's just its "Caretaker" and that it belongs to those left behind buried in the sand

Great series but I'm having a small problem with the obvious lack of chain of command being shown when it comes to coversations and meetings between a battalion commander and platoon NCO's. Not enuff to make a difference of opinion, just an observation

Methinks they just want to get Chesty involved more in the film than what was actual...1 cent

...and oh yeah, lets take a 100 mile march just to piss you off

Hope is a moment now long pastThe Shadow of Death is the one I castKoo koo ka joob....I am the Walrus

I told Lisa that last night's episode may have been the best of the three for me for all the reasons you guys mentioned.

Not only did those guys go through hell in the jungle but the mental battles off the islands may have been worse for some of them.

Guy like Leckie leaves a shitty family situation in the US, fights his balls off in some of the most vicious, heinous, vile conditions ever and then finds the ideal family situation in Australia that ends because he has to go back to that horrific shit and there's a good chance he'll die.